System and method for real-time prioritization of sequencing

Abstract

A method for prioritizing sequencing of nucleic acid molecules from two or more sources, comprising: (i) ligating one or more ends of each of a plurality of nucleic acid molecules to an adapter, wherein the adaptor is unique to each source and comprises a unique identifier nucleic acid sequence; (ii) pooling the nucleic acid molecules from each of the two or more sources; (iii) sequencing a plurality of nucleotides of an identifier nucleic acid sequence of an adapter; (iv) determining in real-time from which of the two or more sources the nucleic acid molecule being sequenced came; (v) determining, from a prioritization rule set and based on the determined source, a sequencing priority for the nucleic acid molecule; and (vi) allowing the sequencing process to proceed, or modifying the sequencing process, based on the determined sequencing priority.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for prioritizing sequencing of nucleic acid molecules from two or more sources, comprising:
 ligating one or more ends of each of a plurality of nucleic acid molecules to an adapter, wherein nucleic acid molecules from each source are ligated to an adaptor unique to each source, each adaptor comprising a unique identifier nucleic acid sequence; 
 pooling the ligated plurality of nucleic acid molecules from each of the two or more sources into a pool of nucleic acid molecules; 
 sequencing, from the pool of nucleic acid molecules using a real-time single-molecule sequencing process, a plurality of nucleotides of an identifier nucleic acid sequence of an adapter; 
 determining, in real-time from the sequenced plurality of nucleotides, from which of the two or more sources the nucleic acid molecule being sequenced came; 
 determining, from a prioritization rule set and based on the determined source of the nucleic acid molecule being sequenced, a sequencing priority for the nucleic acid molecule being sequenced, wherein the prioritization rule set is modified based on information received regarding a health condition of a subject; and 
 allowing the real-time single-molecule sequencing process to proceed based on the determined sequencing priority, or modifying (180) the real-time single-molecule sequencing process based on the determined sequencing priority. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of fragmenting each of the plurality of nucleic acid molecules into a plurality of fragmented nucleic acid molecule. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of generating a prioritization rule set. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein modifying the real-time single-molecule sequencing process comprises aborting the sequencing of the nucleic acid molecule being sequenced. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein modifying the real-time single-molecule sequencing process comprises ejecting the nucleic acid molecule being sequenced. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein modifying the real-time single-molecule sequencing process comprises redirecting the nucleic acid molecule being sequenced. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of receiving additional information about one or more of the two or more sources, wherein the determined sequencing priority is based at least in part on the received additional information. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of adding nucleic acid molecules to the pool of nucleic acid molecules. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sequencing priority is based at least in part on a user-defined priority for one or more of the two or more sources of nucleic acid molecules. 
     
     
       10. A system for prioritizing sequencing of nucleic acid molecules in a pool of nucleic acid molecules from two or more sources, wherein the nucleic acid molecules from each source are ligated to a unique identifier nucleic acid sequence, the system comprising:
 a database, stored in one or more computer readable storage devices, of the unique identifier nucleic acid sequences, wherein each of the unique identifier nucleic acid sequences is associated with a respective source; 
 a prioritization rule set, stored in the one or more computer readable storage devices, comprising one or more rules for determining a sequencing priority for nucleic acid molecules from the two or more sources, wherein the prioritization rule set is modified based on information received regarding a health condition of a subject; and 
 a priority supervisor configured to execute one or more program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage device using one or more computer processors, the one or more program instructions comprising: (i) program instructions to determine, in real-time from a sequenced plurality of nucleotides of an identifier nucleic acid sequence of an adapter, from which of the two or more sources a nucleic acid molecule being sequenced came; (ii) program instructions to determine, based at least in part on the prioritization rule set and the determined source of the nucleic acid molecule being sequenced, a sequencing priority for the nucleic acid molecule being sequenced; and (iii) program instructions to provide instructions to the real-time single-molecule sequencing process, based on the determined sequencing priority, to allow the process to proceed or to modify the process. 
 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 10 , wherein modifying the real-time single-molecule sequencing process comprises program instructions to aborting the sequencing of the nucleic acid molecule being sequenced. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 10 , wherein modifying the real-time single-molecule sequencing process comprises program instructions to ejecting the nucleic acid molecule being sequenced. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 10 , wherein modifying the real-time single-molecule sequencing process comprises program instructions redirecting the nucleic acid molecule being sequenced. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the pool of nucleic acid molecules comprises nucleic acid molecules from a plurality of different sources. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the sequencing priority is based at least in part on a user-defined priority for one or more of the two or more sources of nucleic acid molecules.